Delirium by Lauren Oliver Review

Delirium – Lauren Oliver

I knew I would love this book before I had even opened it. Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall is an incredible novel (see my review here). So that, plus the promise of a dystopian story line that’s pure genius, meant I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Delirium and delve into it head first.

Here’s the synopsis:

“They say that the cure for love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years suffocated by a lie.

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it. They would tell lies for it: Even kill for it.

Then, at last, they found the cure.”

What makes Lauren Oliver’s concept so brilliant is that it makes complete sense. There are so many occasions in life when love really does feel like a disease. But what Lena and the rest of her world don’t remember is the times when love feels amazing. They don’t know what it’s like to laugh, sing, dance, and really feel alive. So when Lena finally finds out what it’s like to be in love, it unravels a whole world she never knew about. A world full of secrets that were right in front of her eyes all along.

Lena is a wonderful character to follow throughout this novel, and it’s certainly not hard to fall in love with Alex alongside her.

There were times in when I wished Lauren Oliver would hurry along and progress the story a little faster, but now that I think back I realise that it was a great way for us to grow attached to the characters and understand the complex world.

Topping it all off was the perfect ending that left my heart in my throat. It moved me to tears, so much so that I had to wipe my eyes and re-read the last few pages to make sure my blurry vision hadn’t made me miss anything in my rush to find out the book’s conclusion. And let’s face it, it wasn’t a conclusion at all. It’s a great big cliffhanger that leaves you holding on by a fingertip and praying that the sequel will come along and pull you back up again.

I can’t wait to find out Lena’s fate in Pandemonium, but, after reading Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall, I’m not convinced that there will be a happy ending… (No spoilers though please 🙂 )